


Ten Thousand and One Paper Cranes

by ToxicTraitor



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V
Genre: M/M, You might cry, i cried
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-24
Updated: 2016-10-24
Packaged: 2018-08-24 11:26:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,867
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8370418
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ToxicTraitor/pseuds/ToxicTraitor
Summary: Legend has it that the man who folds a thousand paper cranes will be granted a wish.  Yuuto begins to fold them, making wishes after every one thousand.  Sadly, even the magic of paper cranes cannot stop Fate's cruel hand.





	1. Fate Is Our Tightrope

Yuuto folds his first paper crane when he is eight.  It’s messy and uneven.  The wings look broken and the crane’s beak looks like a crumpled mess.  He loves it, despite its flaws.  It’s a mess but he made it with a piece of paper and his own two hands.  It’s his and he loves it.

            He folds more and more until they fill an entire shoebox.  There’s two hundred and ten, he’s getting close to his goal of one thousand.  He’s getting closer to having his wish granted.

            The day he completes one thousand, he’s ecstatic.  He has only one wish in mind and that is to become friends with the strange older boy that held Ruri Kurosaki’s hand every day before and after school, her older brother, Shun Kurosaki.

            Somehow, his wish comes true despite all his doubts.  He catches the boy’s attention in the hallway just as he finishes his final crane.

            “Why are you always folding paper cranes?” Shun asks.  There’s curiosity in his eyes, a contrast to the frown he always wore.

            “My grandma said that if you fold one thousand that you get to make a wish,” Yuuto explains.

            “I don’t think it works that way,”

            “Why not?” Yuuto asks.

            “That’s called a coincidence.  Magic doesn’t exist,” Shun sighs as if he’s said this a thousand times already, “That’s just something adults tell you so you won’t stay up past your bedtime,”

            “Well I believe that it’s true,” Yuuto says confidently with a nod of his head.

            Shun huffs, staring down at his shoes.  He kicks the ground once then twice before he shyly asks, “Do you want to come play a game with me?  I just got a new Pokemon game.  I can’t catch Articuno, maybe you can help me,”

            Yuuto’s face lights up instantly, which wins him a blush from the older boy, “Of course I’ll play with you!” he beams brightly.

            “Y-you don’t have to smile at me like that,” Shun stutters, embarrassed, “I just need some help, it’s not like we’re friends or anything,”

            Yuuto only beams brighter, “Oh, but we will be,” he says as he grabs Shun’s hand, “Just wait and see,”

 

 

Yuuto folds more cranes as the years go by, wishing a new wish after every one thousand.  His wishes are mostly simple.  He wishes for a new bike at 2,000 and for better grades at 3,000, then his 4,000th for a new gaming console.  Sometimes he wishes for things like finding the perfect gift for Ruri on her birthday when he reached 5,000 or for enough money to take Shun to that concert he had wanted to see as soon as he hit 6,000.

            Life was, for the most part, perfect.

            He had everything he could ever want.  He had a bike that could take him anywhere, down to the park on the weekends for ice cream or to the arcade after school.  He had good grades that weren’t ever better than Ruri’s but grades that made his grandmother smile nevertheless.

            Most importantly, he had Shun and Ruri.  They were the best friends he could ever ask for.  Ruri was bright and full of joy and of life.  She was like a breath of fresh air after a long day of classes.  Shun was, despite his mean appearance and intimidating frown, loving, caring and protective.

            Shun was also… Well… He was Yuuto’s first crush.

            He was older by two years, although Shun would always point out the extra seven months between them, saying he was older by two years _and_ seven months.  There had been a very short time that he and Yuuto had been the same height before Shun finally had that ‘big boy’ growth spurt that left Yuuto six inches shorter and six inches jealous.

            Shun was pretty, he had sharp, golden eyes that Yuuto swore could see through his every lie.  He was tall and he had the slightest hint of muscle beneath his skin.  Some days Yuuto thinks he spent more time staring at Shun than he did staring at the TV during the weekends when they’d catch up on the latest episodes of whatever anime they had started watching.

            Yuuto was content with hiding his feelings.  They had more time, years and years before anything like that could even matter.  He was twelve and Shun was fourteen.  He had time to waste before he needed to confess.  Right now he wanted to enjoy their time as friends.  Things like holding hands could wait.

            Sadly, things like that could not wait.  Fate pulled their strings too taut, pulling too hard until Yuuto was afraid that they could snap at any moment and everything would start to fall apart.


	2. I Held You So Tight

It starts with headaches.  Shun begins to complain about them in the early summer.  He begins to spend more time indoors, focusing on playing videos games or listening to Yuuto attempt to play the guitar he used his 7,000th crane to wish for.

            No one worries yet, everyone had headaches.  Shun puts it down to his new glasses, saying that his eyes weren’t used to the sudden change just yet.  He figured that by the end of summer, he’d be back to normal.

            The end of summer just brings worse things.  Shun starts spending more time lying in bed.  Ruri tries and tries in vain to get him out of bed but he won’t budge.  He complains his headaches are worse than before, saying that they hurt so much that he can’t even see anymore.

            When he finally does try to get up, he collapses.  Ruri panics as she hurriedly runs out the door to call the neighbors for help.  Yuuto can hear her calling out, begging for someone to please call a doctor or someone or anyone that could help her brother.

            Yuuto holds onto Shun’s hand as tight as he can.  Shun’s hands feel so cold and so limp.  Part of Yuuto wonders if he’s watching his best friend die right in front of his eyes.  He had just turned sixteen this year.  He was too young to die, too young to get sick. 

            The ride to the hospital is denied to Yuuto.  Only family members could ride in the ambulance with Shun.  Ruri is the only one to go.  A young girl, only 14, is the only one left to go with her brother to a hospital to face the unknown.

            Yuuto climbs onto his bike to follow them to the hospital.  He goes as fast as he can, speeding down each street, cutting corners and going through shortcuts.  By the time he gets there, Ruri is standing in the waiting room alone and crying.  She trembles as she wraps her arms around Yuuto, holding him tight as she whispers how scared she is into his ear.

            It takes all of Yuuto’s strength to hold on to her tight and to hold back all his tears.  All he wants is to know that Shun is okay.  He just wants his best friend, the boy he has fallen in love over, to be okay.

            The doctor has no news.  They stabilize Shun and leave him in a bed to rest.  They monitor him; a nurse comes in every hour to check on him.  She writes something down in in clipboard notes and ignores every question that falls from Yuuto’s mouth, leaving him with no answers.

            When Shun wakes up, he’s confused and upset.

            “Ruri?” he mumbles, “Where am I?”

            Ruri kneels by his bed, taking his hand and squeezing it tight, “You’re in the hospital, Big Brother.  You collapsed so we called an ambulance to bring you here,”

            “Hospital?” Shun asks.

            Ruri nods and brushes his hair from his eyes, “The doctors are going to run a brain scan to check on the headaches you’ve been complaining about.  They’re worried it’s serious,” Shun half nods and relaxes into the bed as Ruri gently pats his head, “Get some rest, Big Brother,”

 

The brain scan isn’t clear.  The doctors argue over it, angrily fighting back and forth as they try to decide what’s wrong.  A tumor, a blood clot, a hole in Shun’s heart…  One even suggests that it might be the work of a parasite.

            The only thing they can decide on is that Shun is sick.  They send him home, telling Ruri to monitor him.  They give him pain medication to fight the headaches.  They tell him they need to do more research and they reschedule a new brain scan.

            Things seem to go back to normal.  Shun returns to school on good days and on bad days, he stays in bed.  Ruri brings him his homework so he won’t fall behind.  Shun starts to avoid running track or doing anything that makes him feel too sick.  He even seems to be getting better.

            They spend the winter together, celebrating both Yuuto and Ruri’s birthday.  Yuuto even uses his 8,000th wish so he and Shun can get her those pretty hair clips she’s been wanting.

            Spring comes with no worries and ends on a high note.  Another year of school is behind them.  Shun turns seventeen in April and he seems to be doing much better.  Another brain scan is inconclusive so the doctors end up boiling his headaches down to stress and the fainting down to not enough rest.

            Paper cranes were magical in Yuuto’s eyes, but not even their magic could turn back the hands of time.  Yuuto wishes they had noticed the signs sooner.  Yuuto wishes they had questioned more and gone back to the hospital for more tests.  Maybe if they had, Shun wouldn’t have gotten worse.

            Shun is nearly a month away from graduating when Yuuto finds him in the bathroom.  Shun is shaking and drenched in sweat.  He heaves up nothing, his stomach empty from having no appetite left to eat.  He’s a mess, tears stream down his cheeks as he asks Yuuto to please take him back to the hospital.

            Yuuto helps him up, supporting Shun’s weight.  He feels lighter than he used to be, weaker too.  Every step seems like a battle for Shun.  He stares at the floor, trying so hard to move another step. 

            “I can’t,” Shun whimpers quietly, “I can’t do it,”

            “I have you,” Yuuto promises, “We’ll make it, I’ve got you,”


	3. I’d Never Let You Go

Shun’s stay in the hospital becomes more permanent.  The doctor only shakes her head when she reads his vitals.  They do everything they can, they run blood tests, DNA tests, another brain scan. Nothing, nothing, nothing, they only find nothing.

            “He’s sick!” Ruri argues, “Why are you finding nothing?”

            “Ms. Kurosaki, we are still looking.  Whatever is wrong with your brother seems to be a deeper problem that our simple tests are not finding.  We’re going to try transferring him to another hospital so he can get better care,” the doctor explains calmly, “He’ll be staying in the hospital for now,”

            “Will he be home in time for graduation?” Ruri asks.

            “I’m afraid not.  His body is extremely weak.  It’s very possible that he’ll be here for another month at the least,”

            “How bad is it?” Yuuto asks quietly.

            “He’s having trouble walking,” the doctor begins, “His organs are getting weak too.  We’re afraid that they may worsen so we need to monitor him.  Even his heart beat is weakening and his blood pressure is low.  We’re going to try to improve him so he can be transferred within the week,”

            It takes two weeks for Shun to improve.  He tries to eat but he ends up with another needle in his veins to keep him fed.  They give him medication to bring up his blood pressure but it ends up making him even worse.  In the end, they give up on the pills and place another needle in his veins.

           Again, Ruri is the only one that gets to ride in the ambulance with Shun.  Yuuto is forced to take the subway.  He feels like a phantom ghost as he moves past and through all of the crowds of people.  He feels defeated and empty.  Shun is going to miss graduation, he’s already missing his finals.  He could make up for them over the summer if the school agreed to but Shun’s already losing hope. 

Ruri had tried to bring him his homework a week ago but he had just thrown it across the room in a fit of rage.

            “I’m sick,” he muttered angrily, “What’s the point of this anymore?  I won’t graduate; I won’t go to a university.  I’m going to be stuck in a bed forever,”

            Yuuto can still remember the look on Ruri’s face as she bent down to pick up the scattered papers.  The fear in her eyes shook him. 

            “Maybe he’s right,” she says an hour later after Shun has fallen asleep, “Maybe he will be here forever,”

            “He’ll get out one day,” Yuuto had promised, back then he had believed it.

            Now that he was here, riding the train to a new hospital, he was trying to cling on to the little hope he had left.  A new hospital meant good things.  They were better, bigger… A new hospital meant new hope.

            For a while, there is hope.  Shun improves a little here and there.  There are small victories.  Shun’s starting to eat again.  It’s just a simple broth but it’s something.  After a few weeks, he starts to eat rice again.  He’s still too weak to feed himself so Ruri is the one that feeds him.

            She’s happy enough to.  She’s loves her brother more than anything.  He’s always taken care of her so she’s happy to have her turn to take care of him.  She smiles brightly whenever he takes a bite.  To her, every bite means he’s getting better.

            There are days when he’s worse but for the most part, he’s doing well.  The doctors praise his improvements, promising that he can go soon.  Shun doesn’t realize those are empty promises until another month passes by, then another and another.  Before long, he’s watching summer pass and fall too.  Winter comes and they celebrate Ruri’s birthday in the hospital.

            She’s seventeen now, so close to being an adult.  Shun smiles brightly at her but Yuuto can see the pain in his eyes.

            “She’s spends all her time with me,” Shun worries one day while Ruri has gone off to find lunch, “She should be hanging out with her friends or dating,”

            “I thought you didn’t want her to date,” Yuuto half-heartedly teases.  He avoids looking Shun in the eyes as he stares at the paper crane he’s folding in his hands.

            “Anything would be better than this,” Shun sighs.  His voice breaks when he speaks again, “She’s wasting her time,”

            “She’s hanging out with her big brother,” Yuuto reminds, “The big brother that she loves with all her heart.  She’s not wasting her time,”

            “I’m not getting better, Yuuto,” Shun says in a hushed whisper that sends a chill down Yuuto’s spine.

            “The doctor said you’ll be out of here in no time,” Yuuto tries to ignore the tremble in his voice.

            “That was months ago,” Shun reminds, “I know, Yuuto.  I can feel it.  I’m not getting better, I’m getting worse,”

            Yuuto sets the paper crane in his hands down, “Shun, if something is wrong, you have to tell the doctor so she can help,”

            Shun is silent for a moment, “Will you teach me how to fold a crane?” he asks.  Yuuto knows he’s just trying to change the subject but he agrees.

            He shows Shun how, helping him fold the paper until it sort of resembles a crane.  Shun’s hands shake but he somehow manages to do it.  He places it on the bed stand next to him, setting it carefully so it faces the window.

            “Now it can look outside,” Shun says quietly, “Maybe one day we’ll both get to go out there again,”


	4. Our Balance Is Lost

Shun spends another year in that hospital bed.  His birthday comes but he doesn’t want to celebrate it.  Ruri brings him a present anyway, a little necklace with a locket that has a picture of happier days when no one was sick or worried.

            Ruri celebrates another birthday in the hospital, another Christmas too.  Shun frowns, complaining that she’s spending her whole life in the hospital when he isn’t worth it.  Ruri trembles, tears streaming down her face before she excuses herself to leave.

            “I keep hurting her,” Shun cries, “I’m dying, Yuuto.  I’m dying and it’s killing her too,”

            “Shun…,” Yuuto tries.

            “No,” he snaps back, “You can’t fix this.  No one can fix this.  I’m dying and no one knows why, no one can stop it.  I don’t want to die, Yuuto.  I’m scared.  I don’t want to leave her or you,”

            “Shun,” Yuuto tries again.

          “I want to sleep,” Shun says, ending the conversation, “Go find Ruri and take her to get dinner or something,”

 

When Yuuto finds Ruri, she’s no longer crying.  She’s staring out one of the windows in the hallway, hugging herself tightly.

            “Did he tell you what he told me?” she asks, a small whimper in her voice, “That he’s dying?”

            “Is it true, Ruri?”

            Ruri bows her head and turns to hold Yuuto close.  She hides her face in his shoulder, “The doctors said that there’s nothing left to do.  His heart is failing, he won’t last much longer.  All we can do is try to make the most of his last moments,”

            “Oh Ruri,” Yuuto mumbles as he squeezes her tight.

            “He’s angry because he’s scared,” she continues, “I’m just trying to be strong for him but it’s so hard to watch him when he’s like this.  I don’t want to lose my big brother.  He’s all the family I have,”

            “I’m so sorry, Ruri,” Yuuto mumbles, “I wish I could save him,”

            Ruri just sniffs and wipes away her tears before she turns to walk back to Shun’s room.  Yuuto watches her take a deep breath before she opens the door and step in.

            Yuuto takes the elevator down to the cafeteria and folds more cranes.  He finally reaches 9,000.  He closes his eyes and makes another wish.

            “Please,” he whispers quietly, “Please let Shun’s suffering end,”

           Tears stream down his cheeks as he makes the wish.  He originally wanted to wish for his first kiss with Shun.  Now that he’s seen how hard it is for Shun, he just wants Shun to get better.  He didn’t care if he never got that kiss.  He just wanted Shun to stop suffering.

When Yuuto visits Shun one last time for the night, he finds Ruri asleep against Shun’s shoulder.  Shun holds a finger to his lips, asking Yuuto to keep quiet.

            “We were watching a movie,” he says, “She fell asleep.  Poor baby, she’s so tired,”

            “She loves you,” Yuuto reminds, “It doesn’t matter how tired she is, she just wants to be with you,”

            “I know,” Shun murmurs, he smiles slightly, “She’s always been that way, even when we were kids.  She used to tag along with everything I did,”

 

The next day when Yuuto visits, Shun invites him for a walk outside.

            “Ruri needs to get some more sleep,” Shun says, “I can’t push my wheelchair on my own,”

            Yuuto just nods and takes Shun to the small garden outside.  Shun’s very quiet as they navigate the pathway.  Yuuto finally stops near a bench, taking a seat so he and Shun can watch the wind blowing through the trees together.

            “Yuuto,” Shun says softly, “Will you watch her for me?”

            Yuuto doesn’t have to ask to know he means Ruri, “Of course I will,”

            “Yuuto?” Shun continues.

            “Yeah?”

            When Shun doesn’t respond, Yuuto turns to glance at him.  Shun is staring at him, his eyes look so round and so full of wonder.  There’s adoration in there too, love clear in Shun’s eyes.

            “I love you, Yuuto,” Shun promises, “I know I always tell you that but I never told you enough,”

            “I love you too, Shun,” Yuuto promises back.

            Shun nods his head, turning away to hide his tears, “Let’s head back now.  I’m getting tired,”

 

 

It takes another three days for Shun to breathe his last breaths, Yuuto finds Ruri crying at his side and he thinks he might be a little too late.

            “Yuuto,” she murmurs, “Come say goodbye,”

            Yuuto nods and Ruri stands up to leave the room.  Yuuto takes her place by Shun’s bed, brushing back Shun’s hair to see into his eyes.  His eyes are still golden, maybe even more so now that Shun was at his end.

            “Yuuto,” Shun mumbles, “I love you,”

            “I love you too, Shun,” Yuuto says as he squeezes Shun’s hand.

            It’s his last chance and Shun’s final moments.  Yuuto leans in to kiss Shun goodbye.  Shun tastes like tears but the moment is as sweet as sugar.

            “I’ve got you, Shun,” Yuuto says, “You can let go now,”

            “Thank you,” Shun cries, “Thank you for everything, Yuuto.  Thank you for being my friend and for loving me.  I could have never asked for better,”

            Yuuto smiles lightly, “I’m the one who should be saying that,”

            “Goodbye, Yuuto,” Shun trembles, “Please hold me close,”

            “I will,” Yuuto promises as he holds Shun tight.

            Yuuto can feel the final rise and fall of Shun’s chest.  He can feel Shun relax in his arms as Shun’s soul finally flies away like the bird he was.  The heart monitor sets off in a final beep, signaling the end of Shun’s heartbeats.

            Yuuto can hear Ruri’s low cry from out in the hallway.

 

The funeral is a simple one.  Despite Shun’s trouble with making friends, many people show up to say their goodbyes.  Yuuto sits towards the back of the crowd, watching Ruri as she accepts condolences and as she wipes away more tears with more tissues.

            “Hey,” Ruri says after everyone has left to go home, “I have something for you,”

            Yuuto expects a tissue but instead, Ruri hands him a shoebox, “What is it?”

            “I don’t know,” she admits, “Shun wanted you to have it,”

            “Thanks, Ruri,”

            “I’m going to spend a few nights with Serena,” she says, “Umm… It’s hard being alone at home so she’s letting me bunk there until I’m ready,”

            “That’s good to know,” Yuuto says, “You’re welcome with me too,”

            Ruri gives him a warm smile and a kiss on his head, “I’ll see you around, Yuuto,”

            Yuuto takes the box home and opens it up at the kitchen table.  It’s a box full of paper cranes.  There’s so many of them.  They’re made from all sorts of random pieces of paper. There’s old take-out menus, receipts, old homework and flyers and doctors notes.  There’s even the first one he showed Shun how to fold all those months ago

            At the very bottom, there’s one final crane.  It’s made from a napkin, scribbled over with pen.

            “I made one thousand and one paper cranes,” the note says, clearly written in Shun‘s messy handwriting, “My wish was to kiss you,”

**Author's Note:**

> If you cried when you read this, don't get angry at me because I also bawled like a baby.


End file.
